-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi called for the rule of law , an end to ethnic conflict and strong democratic institutions in Myanmar on Thursday as she began a historic first trip to Europe after decades of house arrest .

`` Am I overly ambitious ? '' she asked , then smiled . `` Well , perhaps . I am ambitious . ''

The audience erupted in laughter and cheers as she declared that she was speaking not as a representative of government , then grinned and added : `` Not yet , anyway . ''

The democracy campaigner was speaking at the annual conference of the International Labour Organization , a U.N. agency . Worker and employer representatives , as well as government officials , attended the event .

Answering questions after the speech , she said she had nothing to forgive the country 's military rulers for .

`` In some ways I do n't think they did anything to me . They placed me under house arrest , but that gave me time to read , '' she said with a smile , adding : `` Sometimes when my schedule is very hectic , I look back with some nostalgia '' at nearly two decades of being confined to her home .

She said her country , which is also known as Burma , needs `` reconciliation , not retribution , '' as it moves toward democracy .

Suu Kyi was recently elected to parliament as her National League for Democracy won dozens of seats in by-elections . It remains a minority in parliament .

Suu Kyi said she was `` concerned '' about ethnic and religious violence in the country after clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in the past week have left many dead or homeless .

`` Of course I am concerned , as I think everybody else in Burma is , '' Suu Kyi said of the clashes in Rakhine state .

`` We have said again and again rule of law is essential . ... Without rule of law , such communal strife will only continue , '' she warned , urging that the conflict be handled with delicacy , sensitivity and `` cooperation of all people concerned . ''

She also addressed ethnic violence in Kachin state , saying : `` A cease-fire is not enough . We have to have a political settlement if there is to be a lasting peace . ''

U.N. special envoy Vijay Nambiar , who returned from a visit to Rakhine on Thursday , said he had seen smoke rising from the remains of houses that had been burned .

`` I 'd like to say the worst is behind us , '' he told CNN 's Kristie Lu Stout , but could not say that the unrest was over .

`` Trauma , fear , insecurity '' will continue for some time , he warned , and said that reconciliation in the area will be `` a long haul . ''

Violent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims prompted the government of President Thein Sein to declare a state of emergency in Rakhine on Sunday , calling in the military to help impose order .

The unrest in the western coastal area of Myanmar , which borders Bangladesh , has left 21 people dead and thousands seeking shelter in refugee camps , Myanmar state TV reported Tuesday evening .

Suu Kyi said part of the problem was the `` porous border '' and `` fear that there will be illegal immigrants . ''

`` We need very clear and precise laws with regard to citizenship , '' she said .

She urged International Labour Organization delegates to think of the people of her country as `` your own people , your own children , '' as she described the hopelessness many young people in Myanmar face .

`` Restless , directionless youth agonize over the fruitlessness of their existence , '' she said .

`` Please encourage your governments , your businesses , your workers to build the kind of society that will build the future of our country , '' she said in a departure from her prepared text .

She called on them `` not just to look at investment opportunities '' in the mineral-rich nation , but `` to judge how much potential there is for good for the whole world . ... Our people have such spirit in them . ''

The International Labour Organization has for years pressured Myanmar to eradicate forced labor , which it says is widespread in the country . On Wednesday , the conference voted to lift restrictions on Myanmar 's participation in the organization 's activities , ending 13 years of isolation .

During her trip , Suu Kyi will finally collect the Nobel Peace Prize that she was awarded in 1991 , when she was under house arrest .

She said Thursday that she had been too busy preparing for the trip to think about how she would feel when she received it .

While in Europe , she is also scheduled to address both houses of the British Parliament , be the guest of honor at a concert in Dublin , Ireland , and celebrate her 67th birthday with family .

The trip is only Suu Kyi 's second abroad since she returned to Myanmar in 1988 to care for her dying mother , and comes close on the heels of her first trip outside the country earlier this year .

A military coup in September 1988 put Gen. Saw Maung in power , setting off anti-government demonstrations and a crackdown that left hundreds dead .

Suu Kyi -- whose husband , Michael Aris , remained in England -- became a leading activist and co-founder of an opposition group , the National League for Democracy . She was placed under house arrest for the first time the following July on charges of trying to divide the military . She spent much of the next two decades confined to her home by the ruling junta .

When her party won the 1990 general election in a landslide vote , the military rulers -- in power since 1962 -- refused to let the National League for Democracy serve , nullifying the results .

The military rulers have since loosened their grip on power , allowing a series of democratic reforms . Her house arrest ended in 2010 , and she was able to travel around the country during her party 's election campaign this year .

On Saturday , about 21 years after she was awarded the prize , Suu Kyi is expected to finally deliver her Nobel lecture at the Oslo City Hall in Norway .

Cities hosting her are well prepared for the fanfare .

In Dublin , a giant banner hangs from Liberty Hall ahead of her scheduled Monday arrival . There , she will be the special guest at a concert , `` Electric Burma . ''

The event is organized by Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey and features a range of entertainers and personalities , including Bono , Vanessa Redgrave , Bob Geldof , Angelique Kidjo and former Tiananmen Square student activist Wu'er Kaixi .

Amnesty International , which has campaigned for Suu Kyi and other political prisoners in Myanmar during the past two decades , will award Suu Kyi its highest honor , the Ambassador of Conscience Award . Past recipients include Nelson Mandela and Vaclav Havel .

Bono , who has long dedicated the song `` Walk On '' to Suu Kyi at U2 concerts to highlight her detention , will present the award . Tickets for the event sold out in 20 minutes .

From Ireland , she plans to travel to Britain -- where she spent time as a student -- to celebrate her birthday Tuesday , before she addresses lawmakers at Westminster Hall in London on June 21 , an honor usually reserved for heads of state .

Suu Kyi 's trip will end in Paris , where she will be a guest of French President Francois Hollande from June 26 to 29 in honor of her `` fight for democracy and the rights of man and to reaffirm France 's will to support the political transition in Myanmar , '' according to the Elysee Palace .

CNN 's Elizabeth Yuan and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report .

@highlight

NEW : Aung San Suu Kyi says she has nothing to forgive Myanmar 's military rulers for

@highlight

NEW : She calls for a cease-fire and political reconciliation after ethnic clashes

@highlight

An audience cheers as Suu Kyi says she does n't represent government -- yet

@highlight

She will collect her Nobel Prize on her first visit to Europe in more than two decades